


Epilogue

by ageless_aislynn



Series: Snowells Kisses prompts [24]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-12 01:41:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29877195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ageless_aislynn/pseuds/ageless_aislynn
Summary: Prompt by DancesWithSeatbeltsSnowells Kisses prompt7.A hello/good-bye kiss that is given without thinking - where neither person thinks twice about it.Pairing: All of them ;)Pariah finds that, somehow, he has managed to continue existing even after Nash Wells returned to himself. Lost in a world of mist and shadows, he discovers that someone else has survived being written out of her own timeline as well: Killer Frost, fresh from a world where an evil Superman ruled all. He must convince her that every version of Harrison Wells and every version of Caitlin Snow or Killer Frost only succeed when they find each other in whatever world or timeline they exist in. To live, she will need to thaw her icy heart and he will need to believe he has the ability to love at all.[Contains epilogues to every previous story in this series.]
Relationships: Caitlin Snow/Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells, Caitlin Snow/Earth-2 Harrison "Harry" Wells, Caitlin Snow/Eobard Thawne | Harrison Wells, Caitlin Snow/Harrison "Sherloque" Wells, Earth-2 Killer Frost/Earth-2 Harrison "Harry" Wells, Flashpoint Caitlin Snow/Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells, Flashpoint Caitlin Snow/Flashpoint Eobard Thawne, Killer Frost/Earth-19 Harrison "HR" Wells, Killer Frost/Eobard Thawne, Killer Frost/Eobard Thawne | Harrison Wells, Killer Frost/Harrison "Nash" Wells, Pariah/Elseworlds Killer Frost
Series: Snowells Kisses prompts [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1813312
Comments: 16
Kudos: 9





	1. Pariah/Frost

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DancesWithSeatbelts](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DancesWithSeatbelts/gifts).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This prompt gave me a lot to think about, lol! I finally opted to interpret "all of the Snowells" as every fic I wrote in this series. It might not be every pairing conceivably possible but I happened to have covered quite a few along the way as I filled the other prompts, including some that are more rare even in this somewhat (?) rare pairing (I guess it depends on who you ask ;) ), so there's a fairly good sampling, I thought. Also, this marks my first time to write Pariah and Elseworlds!Frost, which was fun. ;)
> 
> I decided to start off with a super-sized premiere ;) of the first two chapters. New chapters will be added every day. Some will be quite short, some a little longer. I may double up on some of the short chapters and post two at the same time. We'll see how it goes. 
> 
> Every epilogue will be linked back to the original story and a link from the original story will lead back to the epilogue. I've tried to make it as easy as possible to go back and refresh your memory or read for the first time. Unless you're a rebel and you want to just read it straight through as it is. I support you, in that case. ;) However you choose to read, if you do indeed decide to come along on my largest fic venture yet, then I hope you enjoy! ♥♥♥

Frost put a hand to her face, fighting a wave of dizziness. Someone called her name but their voice warbled as if coming from underwater. She managed to open her eyes, blinking as all of existence seemed to spin around her.

"Frost? Can you hear me?" The person knelt next to her and a warm hand brushed her hair back from her eyes. He suddenly solidified into view.

There was a moment, a crystal clear moment, where she expected him to give her the same devilish grin she'd seen hundreds of times in the early morning light as he said something like _Rough night, beautiful?_ and she'd usually grumble back a variation of _You ought to know, you were there._

But, of course, that was Before. Before he decided adventuring was more important than their life together. More important than _her_.

"What are you doing here, Nash?" she said, intending for her tone to be cutting but instead it came out uncertain. If only the ground would stop spinning!

His expression was surprisingly reserved but, even still, there was a bit of something there. Sorrow? Pain? Sadness? "I am not Nash," he said gently.

She sat up, feeling a little less wobbly now, and patted her hair, checking that her braids were still tucked in neatly at the back of her head. "Sure you're not," she said sarcastically. "Do you think I can't recognize you just because you're wearing… What _are_ you wearing, anyway? You always said you're not one for a uniform."

Once, just once, she'd convinced him to join her in Superman's forces. He'd made it about an hour and then he'd burned the black and camo uniform that had looked so good on him.

"I'm just not the following orders type of guy," he'd told her unrepentantly. She should've realized that was the first sign of him pulling away. He'd wanted them to travel but she was committed to her work.

He exhaled, almost a sigh. "There is much to explain. Please, come with me?"

She sneered at the hand he extended to her and got to her feet on her own. "Don't," she snapped when he reached as if to steady her. "You were fine leaving me on my own before. Don't start worrying about me now."

Now he did sigh. "My predecessor clearly hurt you badly. I regret that."

"What are you even talking about?"

He gave a slight bow, unimpeded by the dark green, gold-accented armor he wore. "My name is Pariah," he said formally. "I once was Nash Wells but am not any longer. Just as you were once Caitlin Snow."

***

He took her to a large, three-tiered stone fountain, inviting her to sit on the wide ledge. He sat next to her, angling so he could look at her and the rippling water at the same time.

She let him talk without interruption, not because she believed a word of it but because she was trying to figure out exactly where they were. Beyond the fountain was… nothing. Just wispy clouds of mist moving to and fro. Above them was blackness - no sky, no ceiling, just indeterminate darkness. A single, diffuse spotlight shone down on them. She felt like she was on a stage, thrust into a play without knowing even who her character was, much less what her lines were supposed to be.

"Frost?" he finally prompted. "Have you no opinion about anything I've told you?"

She turned in his direction, mirroring his position. "Let me see if I've got this straight: You're not Nash because you were turned into Pariah. But then once Pariah had served his purpose, you became Nash again, except you somehow continued to exist as Pariah separately from Nash. Is that about right?"

"It is," he said, "and I can see you don't believe me."

"Look, the last thing I remember, Oliver Queen was bouncing my head off the inside of an elevator," she said. "Obviously, I got a concussion and this is just some weird dream I'm having while I'm waiting to wake up in the hospital."

He gave her that slightly sad look again. "You are not asleep. You are what's left of a timeline that has been changed by the Book of Destiny. The world you remember is gone, has been returned to what it originally was."

She leveled him with pointed look. "Just for argument's sake, say that I believe a word of this. We've both apparently been wiped out of existence so… how are we here? And where is _here_ , anyway?"

"I am… unsure as to where we are," he admitted. "I've seen others but they all fade. It seems to be inevitable."

Her eyebrow lifted so high it was amazing it didn't shoot off of her forehead. "Well, thank you so much for waking me up in time to watch myself fade out of existence and die. Some things never change."

He started to put his hand on her arm but her sharp expression warned him against it. "I did not believe there was a way to survive the fading," he said. "I, myself, have begun to feel as if I am thinning, becoming less solid. But then, I found this fountain and then I found you and I believe the key to our survival is in the bond we share."

She snorted and stood up, pacing back and forth. "Now I know you're out of your mind. You just said we're from different worlds or timelines or whatever. We've never even met before!"

He pushed to his feet as well, gesturing at the fountain. "Here, in this water, you can see other timelines, other worlds, and I made a profound discovery: in every one of them, there is a Harrison Wells and a Caitlin Snow, no matter what other names they go by or eventually will assume. Their relationships may differ from world to world but they each share an undeniable, unshakable bond. I can show you."

He passed the palm of his hand over the water and, despite the fountain continuing to flow, the water stilled. An image formed.

Despite herself, Frost drew nearer, peering down as the image began to move.


	2. "Melt" (Frost/Nash)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link back to the original fic ["Melt"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25037839) if you'd like to read/reread it first. ;)

"Caity, I'm going to melt out here. When can we go back inside?" Frost muttered.

_You know that a controlled amount of natural sunlight exposure showed promising results in those last batch of tests,_ Caitlin mentally told her.

"Yeah, _controlled_ is the operative word here," she said and yes, even she could admit she was perilously close to whining.

_How about five more minutes?_ her alter ego bartered.

"Three."

_Four and that's my final offer._

"Three and a half it is."

_Frost!_

She chuckled at Caitlin's tone. Looking around the greenhouse, she had to admit that the flowering plants were a nice sight. But she would've been far more at home out in the icy Arctic, where there was _also_ sunlight, as she had pointed out. But Carla wanted her body to not have to handle such extreme temperatures and since Caitlin's mom - her mom - had done a pretty great job of getting their shared body on the road to recovery, she knew she had to listen.

She heard footsteps behind her but figured it was another scientist on their way to check on one or more of the plants. She stepped over automatically to clear the way but the footsteps stopped directly behind her.

"So, there any good ice cream joints up here or does a guy have to bring his own?"

Even as she spun around, a startled grin spread over her mouth. "Nash!" she exclaimed and, before she even registered moving, she was in his arms.

Well, in one of them, anyway. He was carrying a heavy-duty cooler of some sort, so he could only embrace her carefully with one arm.

Kissing him didn't require any thought but letting him go required willpower.

"Hi. I've missed you so much," she murmured.

"Me, too," he returned and shifted as if the cooler was heavier than it seemed.

"What's in there?" she asked, then it dawned on her. "Is that ice cream? Did you bring me ice cream all the way from Central City?"

"I did, indeed," he confirmed. "Flavors 23 - 31. That was where you left off, right?"

"Oh, I love you!" she said rhapsodically, then her demeanor softened and she kissed him again, deliberate and sweet. Her tone became more serious. "I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetheart," he mumbled back with an endearingly shy smile. "Say, why don't we go grab some spoons and crack a few of these open and you can tell me how you're doing?"

"Sounds awesome," she said, leaning happily into his side as he wrapped his free arm around her.

Too late, she realized she was leaving the sunlight sooner than she'd promised.

_Well,_ Caitlin silently said with a smile Frost could feel. _I think we can let it slide this time._


	3. Pariah/Frost

Frost stumbled back a step, released by the vision in the fountain. "You've got a lot of nerve, showing me that," she growled, the words growing tighter as she spoke until the final ones were barely audible. "You're showing me a world where you and I - oh, all right! - where _Nash_ and I are happy? That's just cruel."

He had started to correct her as to his name but stopped, looking slightly chagrined. "I did not mean to cause you pain. I do not have control over which world will appear, nor what order they will be in. Perhaps the next one will--"

"Oh, I've already seen plenty, thanks," she snapped. "If I'm going to fade away into nothingness, I don't want the last thing I see to be myself happy in a life I can never have."

She strode off determinedly into the mist.

"Wait, Frost, please," he exclaimed, the most animated she had heard him so far, but she didn't so much as look back.

She halfway expected him to chase her down. _Go ahead and grab me, see how well that works out for you,_ she thought defiantly but he didn't follow her.

The wispy mist closed around her and she slowed her quick pace. _I don't know if this place has cliffs to walk off of or cavernous holes to fall into, but I don't want to find out the hard way!_

It was eerily quiet, even her footfalls barely making a sound. She put her hands out, worried also that she might run into a tree or a wall or a… thing. Though Nash - _Oh, excuse me,_ Pariah - hadn't said anything about there being animals or monsters or anything of the like here in this odd world.

_Though I quite vividly remember a certain "totally safe" camping trip where we ended up spending half the night up in a tree to keep from being eaten by wolves or coyotes or whatever they were!_

Nash had thought that was a fantastic adventure, had laughed every time it was mentioned, and had never seemed to understand why she didn't recall it with the same fondness.

She suddenly plunged into a clearing and she startled when she realized she wasn't alone. Then she frowned.

"There's nowhere else to go," Pariah said, still standing next to the fountain, exactly where she'd left him. 

She looked behind her into the undulating wall of whiteness, wondering if she had somehow made a circle or gotten turned around. Maybe if she really made a point of walking straight this time…?

"You'll just end up here again," he said softly. "Please, if you will?"

"Fine," she said, walking stiffly back to him. "Get this over with."

His expression was sad, as if he felt sorry for her. She jerked her gaze away from his face and stared at the water, waiting for it to once more grow still.


	4. "Broken" (Caitlin/Eobard)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Link back to the original fic ["Broken"](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25086757) if you'd like to read/reread it first. ;)

It was agony.

Resting besides Caitlin, hearing the soft, pained noises she made with each breath in her sleep, unable to _do_ anything about it. He couldn't even hold her and try to ease her suffering in that way.

So instead, he stayed there, awake, unmoving so not to jostle her, and planning.

Killing the man who had hurt his Caitlin, going back and _eradicating_ him from existence as he had impulsively sworn to do was oh-so-tempting but was also unfortunately foolish. Making that sort of sweeping change would alter the timeline, might even make it so he and Caitlin never met, never fell in love, and he couldn't risk that.

So instead, he'd go back in time and make a small change. Just one. He'd make sure the warning reached S.T.A.R. Labs five minutes earlier than before. For all the way he denigrated Barry's skills, he knew he would have enough speed to get everyone out of the building _including_ Caitlin this time. Although he still cringed at the idea of her even being that close to danger again, he knew it was necessary. Changing the timeline had to be a game of fractions, of infinitesimals, keeping things as close as he could to the first iteration. It took a master's touch to do time travel right.

_And that that's exactly what I am,_ he thought grimly, very carefully getting up.

"Eobard? Where you goin'?" she slurred groggily.

Oh, how he wanted to kiss her, but there was practically no place on her sweet face that wasn't bruised or scratched and he couldn't bear to cause her more discomfort. "Just stepping out for a minute," he said softly. "Get some rest, I'll be back before you know it."

She mumbled something unintelligible then was asleep again. He knew how badly she was hurt just from that alone. If she'd had the strength and cognizance, she would've questioned him more thoroughly.

He looked back at her in the dim lighting one last time and blew her a kiss. _I'll make it better, baby,_ he thought. _Trust me, I will._

***

An hour later for him and five minutes for her after he'd left, he carefully eased the bedroom door open again, letting the light from the hallway spill onto their bed.

Their empty bed.

A loud thump came from somewhere down the hall behind him, followed by a heartfelt, "Ouch!"

He was at her side in a heartbeat. "Are you all right? Cait, what happened?"

She was wearing one of his t-shirts, standing on one foot while grasping the other awkwardly. "I went to get some water and stubbed my toe on the inn table on the way back," she said. "I hope it's not broken, that's the last thing I need!"

He exhaled a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. "Here, let me," he said and swept her up, bridal-style.

"That's not necessary," she said but there was a laugh at the edge of her tone. "I'm hardly direly injured."

"Indulge me," he said.

"If you'd like," she said with a wink as she looped her arm around his neck.

"I'd like," he affirmed and then couldn't help himself: he kissed her forehead, whispering, "Hello again, my beautiful girl."

"Hello?" she questioned. "You've been here all night."

"Yeah," he agreed with a crooked grin. "And I plan on being here forever, too."


End file.
